Sorry Young Thug fans, after an Independence Day promise, Young Thug isn’t releasing Slime Season yet. There’s no telling when it will be available. Young Thug is unpredictable. We should know this by now.

As for why he didn’t release it is planned, that’s also a question. Some wonder if it has anything to do with a Lil Wayne backlash. Lil Wayne released the 15-track Free Weezy Album in its entirety on Tidal. He’s the first Tidal artist to make such a move. Of course, Young Thug wants to emulate Lil Wayne with every step. But looks like that isn’t happening this time, just as it didn’t happen last time, with Barter 6 .

It could also be a business move by Cash Money Records . Is it really a good idea to compete with their No. 1 former artist with a simultaneous mixtape drop? Birdman probably thought it over, and is delaying the release to a more fortuitous day, as it would be embarrassing to Cash Money if Lil Wayne overshadows Young Thug.

But what we do have, as SPIN has reported, are five new tracks . More tracks are on the way — perhaps they will arrive as you read this. A collaboration with Gucci Mane is set to be included. Not all of them will necessarily be on Slime Season . Young Thug and London On Da Track still want to keep us anticipating the full mixtape. Only one of the songs, Paradise , definitely pairs Young Thug with London. As for the other ones, they are all collaborations of various sorts, and perhaps projects to keep us looking forward to a full-fledged future Young Thug album.

To me it just seems like a bit of mismanagement and last minute recording work. Some get the impression that Slime Season isn’t ready for release, and Young Thug and associates are pushing hard to get some tracks out there in the meantime. Those tracks probably weren’t thrown together at the last minute, either. That’s why Young Thug needs to just make an album. Have everything polished and ready ahead of time. Ensure the quality and stick to the release dates. Don’t even tell people about it until it’s almost ready, no matter what Lil Wayne is doing.

How long is Young Thug going to emulate the career of Lil Wayne? Could he stand in a world with no Lil Wayne? Young Thug, the fans want to know. Until then, we’ve got a flurry of new material to hold us over.

[Photo by Rick Diamond / Getty Images for PUMA]